Creating a space to call a house a home

So, dad, I am thinking of you while I type this, and I am writing as if this is being sent directly to you! You asked me when I was going to start posting again. Well, that's all I needed to hear. I keep in touch with so many family members and friends in other ways; a few words on Instagram and Facebook, but you are not there, and I don't want to forget you, or leave you out, so, this is for you.
I love you. I am glad you are my dad.

since I have moved and you are not here, I'll begin with my den...
 I spend the most time in here, during the morning hours, while the Littles are at school.
Little Em is busy with her toys next to me. the sun is out, the windows wide.

The rays hit my shoulders like little kisses here.

The room is shaped like a piece of pie. At the tip, it comes to a point, taller than the rest. this is at the tip of my fireplace, probably 15 feet high, then it slopes down gradually to about about 10 feet, where three large windows meet, in a sorta octagon shape. Sliding glass doors are in the middle, two large windows, about the same size as the doors, on each side; like a little smile to bring in the sunshine. This door is not used as an entry or an exit, the kitchen door is not too far from it.
We have our chaise lounge in front of it to offer a relaxing space to read and I finally have a Little One to read to in it; a dream come true.

These are the clocks... this is what they say........

Iceland, Iowa, California 

Since my family is all over the world. Different time zones. Different lives.

I try to stay connected. I have everybody's name and address on little pieces of paper and each person has a pin on the map where they are located. My parents, my in-loves, aunts and uncles, sisters & brother-in-loves and our cousins. I can send a letter or package at any time without having to wonder where they are. It makes me feel connected. It also makes me feel loved.
I have people out there that are a part of me.
Family Always.

This where my In-Loves are.

This is where Brandt is....

and their is you, the two of you serving the Lord on your mission
.

 This is my desk. It just speaks to me. 7 people in my family. I am a lucky girl.
I can sit & type on my "Kitty," and if I am not inspired I just have to look at my bulletin board with sweet message from friends; letters, post cards, fortune cookie inserts, poems, sayings and things, then my heart is full and the words flutter.  It may look like a mess to others, but it is a marvelous mess to me. The circle has letters from years gone by...correspondences from the 1930's; to and fros California/Italy, all written in Italian. I have a whole box of these letters and it makes me dream of going to Italy someday. I would love to learn to speak Italian and read these letters!! I love the reminder that staying connected means connecting even when it isn't easy or instant. The old shutter is from our old house and I just couldn't leave it behind to be thrown away. It ended up serving the purpose of holding Christmas cards. I think it likes its new home. The letter G, well, you know, and my typewriter....maybe one day, one of those old ones will sit on my desk next to this little "Kitty "of mine.

I painted this brown and gold and the edges black to make it stand out.

...more than a wonderful box of correspondences...

 A wire circle my sister gave me received some letters

                                                            with the help of some paperclips.

The top of an old lamp attached to this old shutter.

became a  place for cards to rest.

 This is definitely more cluttered now, but this is how it started and I don't have a current picture. It all started when Little G sent letters requesting post cards from family members and they came from everywhere.

 This is not the prettiest lamp, but until I find the one I really want, for the price I want to pay, this free lamp will do the trick; a few words of encouragement are placed around its neck.

 And of course the letter G, which stands for much...gratitude and our last name. 

This isn't the best picture but it shows how the room extends. It is a great place to gather.
I really think I need a sectional or full couch to fit all the people who come and visit here.There is no TV in this room, it is all about connecting. These are some of Gigi's friends. We had a New Year's Eve Party for them and I was telling them all about the traditions and customs of New Years. I prepared items for them to make crowns, and we made resolutions, had a balloon drop to celebrate the New Year, and we wrote a story, one sentence at a time, from one person to the next, building upon itself. I will post that another time for sure. It was very fun.

{ I just had to throw a few pics of the front.}

 {the front yard}

.

Back to The Den....

 This is our beloved piano. He almost didn't make the journey. I love this instrument and miss hearing you play it with my Littles. I have GBG's old guitar in the case on top of the piano and my Biggest Littles guitar in front of it. In front of that is a little frog playing the guitar. Remember how I loved frogs...especially Kermit, from The Muppet Show (and Miss Piggy of course).
Well, this little guy is just a reminder to have fun and not take life too seriously.

Little G is learning the piano and has to practice everyday. The harpsichord is Little Jo's and I have a picture of Rosanne and I holding your guitar nestled inside the strings. The crowns on the piano were from our New Years Eve celebration. The area in which the music sits gets a little crowded, but I love that it, it is being used.

I love looking at this, but even more, I love the music that is played here! i wish these pictures were better.

Up close, the crowns

This fireplace is made out of river rock, the man who built this house loved to go fishing and each trip he would bring back some rocks hoping to complete this project. It took several years until he had enough. There is even more outside which he placed into a little sculpture. We love the rocks, they add character, and it is what really sold us on the house. The fireplace has a double flue, I think that is what it is called. On the other side of this wall is another fireplace, so we have two.

Because the stone is so jagged, I had to put something in front of it, so no one would bump into it. At first I thought we needed to create a mantle but then, I had this old bench and voile', it's just perfect. I change the decorations for the season/holiday and change the books too. I really like this focal point and so do all the Littles.  You can't see inside the fireplace but I put mason jars with tea lights inside them to light it up, since we probably won't use it for heat...way too messy here, but

it's a great place to capture memories.

 

This was for Halloween & dress up.... who ever came over to play was in for a treat.

Lots of happiness here...

just the best stuff life's made of.

Yet another not so great picture, but it shows the dimensions a little bit better. This picture was taken from the kitchen looking into the den. When I am preparing, cooking & cleaning up our meals, this is where Little Em hangs out. Of course it is full of all her play things, but now they are tucked away in a little corner by the piano.

See here. Otherside of this divider is our kitchen.

 These balloons were up for our New Years Eve celebration. I don't want to take them down and have managed to incorporate them into our Chinese New Year Celebration by adding Chinese lanterns to them for a celebration at the end of January. Fun fun.

This door leads to a little hallway that opens up to the dining and living room areas. The front door is in between the two rooms and it leads straight to The Den. You can close off one entire side of the house, which is wonderful for our Little one.

We do so many things in this room.

 Learn, create, beautify, dream...live!

 I hope that someday you will be able to come, see, and feel the warmth here.

I love you dad.

Thanks for taking this time with me and encouraging me to continue to write.

 I really miss you.

*****

From me to dad with Love